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Monday, 27 April 2009

Best laid plans

I truly believe that God gets amused when we try to "plan" our lives out. How many times do I have to take the wheel thinking I know best only to find out that the driving instructor has true control over the gas & brake pedals!

Duane and I had visions of organic grains (oats, winter wheat, fall rye, spelt, etc...) growing in abundance on our farm. Lovingly seeded and selective about where it goes, the vision was exciting and felt pretty darn good.

However, when you have a child who is allergic to gluten which is found in all the grains aforementioned (debate about the oats), it's a real kick in the pants! Now what?

And visions of our own grass-fed, grain-free, organic hay-fed Dexter milk cow producing nutrient-dense low-protein-chain raw milk, only to find out that our son is SEVERELY allergic to ALL dairy? Now what?

And visions of homemade formula from raw goat's milk only to find ourselves asking "now what?" as we did with the cow.

And our farm fresh free-ranging chicken eggs, again, only to find out that our son is VERY allergic to them?

For crying out loud, God, NOW WHAT? And don't tell me he can't handle the pollen, dust and other allergens living out the country cuz we were NOT meant to be city folk! I nearly get heart palpatations now when I drive into the city!

Well, this morning, our precious little Lily the calf (who is not so little anymore) was picked up by some friends who bought her. Lily's mother, Minnie, has also been purchased and will be delivered when she gets back from getting milk & butter (she is getting bred at the moment... get it? Bred? Also sounds like bread? Hee hee hee... ok, enough puns).

All of our laying chickens have met up with the grim reaper also known as Duane. I tell you, it sucks to greet your chickens and thank them for the eggs every day only to "show your gratitute" by chopping their heads off when they get too old. Thank GOD almighty humanity doesn't work like that! (No arguments there please, the sky is really nice and blue in my happy world of no evil).

And lastly, our dear goats are going to be delivered to new owners later this week. I am going to miss White Top who has made me laugh on countless occasions with her bold and curious attitude.

I suppose I can say I will miss them because I wasn't the one doing all the work to care for them! But I think even Duane aches a teeny tiny bit to see the fruits of his labour (and the goats' and cow's labour) leaving our farm and good intentions.

So now what? Let's grow sunflowers and buckwheat! Maybe some blue corn if we can shelter it enough not to cross contaminate with GMO corn grown on nearby farms. Maybe we build a greenhouse? Farm meat chickens & turkeys? What is in store for us next? Part of me wonders if the natural clearing of the farm is to prepare us for a move? No differently than Duane's cattle barn being knocked down by some freak mini-tornado accident for his time to finally be freed up enough to meet me!

At least we can rest in that... knowing that there is a bigger picture outside our best laid plans. And more often than not, when God takes the wheel and leads us down a path we would have never chosen for ourselves, it always proves to be an answer to prayer. Just never in the ways we anticipated!

About Me

I like to laugh at myself, wear my heart on my sleeve, volunteer way too much info, and hug people! I'm an eternal optimist and value honesty at all cost. My husband and I are passionate about growing our food organically, growing in our faith, and delighting in the blessing of our children. I have stumbled enough to learn that I am stronger than I realize. I forgive because I know what it means to be forgiven. Key life events that shaped my life are: getting pregnant with Melina at fifteen, still graduating alongside my peers , marrying too young, Isabel's early arrival (27 weeks), the day Izzy was in the resuscitation room, the support of my family, the devastation of bankruptcy, a painful divorce, working three jobs to feed my kids, reaching a point of self-sustenance in my life, and meeting my soul mate whose honesty and integrity earns my respect and love more so every day. A few years later, a few kids later (Anika, Ethan, Sivana & Avalyn), some with significant health issues of their own, life is abundant in its blessings and I delight in sharing our family's journey (good and bad) every step of the way!